No. 1 Maryland tops No. 2 North Carolina in OT

In a classic struggle between two of college soccer's very best teams, No. 1 Maryland defeated No. 2 North Carolina, 1-0, Friday night at College Park, Maryland. The scintillating match was decided by a golden goal near the end of the first overtime, sending thousands of rain-soaked Maryland Fans into a wild celebration. Impressive and determined Freshman Schillo Tshuma - who nearly cost Maryland the game when he took down Carolina's Robb Lovejoy in the penalty box with only 83 seconds left in regulation time, setting up a penalty kick - raced through the penalty box to deflect Senior Patrick Mullins 12 foot shot into the net in the waning moments of the first overtime, and the golden goal was all Maryland needed to beat back one of its arch rivals.  Mullins worked his way free about 12 feet from the end line and near the post to the right of Carolina Keeper Scott Goodwin.  His shot was directed at the far post, and it wasn't clear whether it would have found the net were it not for Tshuma's outstanding run to the ball.  As Goodwin turned to his left to see if Mullins' shot was on goal he saw Tshuma streaking by and hammering the deflection into the back of the net.  It was a fitting and dramatic end to an extremely hard fought game.

The game was played in intermittent downpours, and the start of the second half was delayed for ten to fifteen minutes while members of the Maryland ground crew tried to improve the field after a drenching halftime shower.  While the field was wet and certainly influenced both teams, they seemed oblivious.  Maryland, despite the weather and the playing surface, was able to execute its precision passing game to set up numerous scoring chances in the opening half.  But on each shot, Goodwin was equal to the task, and until Mullins and Tshuma's finish as time was about to expire in the first overtime, he had shut out the high-scoring and undefeated Terps.  The second half featured more than one scuffle between the two teams, each struggling for the season's most sought-after victory.  Both teams needed a win to leave the game in first place in the powerful ACC.  But on this night, first place in the conference was only window dressing for the real reward:  a no. 1 ranking amongst all Division I college teams.  

Even though Maryland controlled the game, Carolina had several opportunities to grab the win.  With about eight minutes left, Tar Heel midfielder Mikey Lopez managed to get a foot on a contested ball about eight feet beyond the 18 line. He quickly touched the ball to an open space, then ran onto the ball and launched a seering cannon shot at the Terrapin goal.  Terrapin Keeper Keith Cardona was beaten, but the ball richocheted off the cross-bar, keeping the match scoreless.  

But by far the best scoring chance for either team came with just over one minute left when Tshuma took down Carolina's Rob Lovejoy just inside the penalty box.  He was awarded a penalty kick.   The senior's penalty shot was a hard liner aimed at the post to his left and Cardona's right.  The sophmore keeper made a save for the ages, getting his entire body in front of it and batting it off to his right.  There, Lopez collected it and immediately launched a bullet to the far post.  Cardona, still scrambling to his feet after diving to stop the penalty kick, nonetheless dove and caught the rebounded shot, sending the Terps and a crowd of over 7,000 into waves of ecstasy.  But the best was yet to come.  After Cardona's double saves, he threw the ball to his right and Maryland counter-attacked.  As time was about to expire Mullins broke through two Tar Heel defenders and fired a rocket at the post to his right.  Goodwin dove at the post but didn't touch the shot.  The ball, however, banged off the post and the match went into overtime.

Both teams had chances in the overtime, but as time was about to expire Maryland launched a wave attack that finally did the Tar Heels in.  Mullins got by a defender and fired his shot at the far post.  Tshuma saw it and broke for it, catching it with his foot about a foot before the endline.  The celebration that followed was inspiring, taking place, as it did, on a field littered with dejected blue-clad North Carolina players laying in the mud, unwilling to concede the defeat.

For the game Maryland outshot North Carolina, 16-6, and had ten shots on goal, compared to only two for Carolina.  Both of those Tar Heel shots on goal came within about two seconds of each other, and Cardona saved them both.  The Terps improved to 13-0-1 and 6-0 in the ACC.  Carolina. the defending national champ, is 11-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the conference.  They hold onto second place by just one point over Wake Forest, which is 9-2-4 overall and 3-1-3 in the ACC. Boston College is also a factor in t he race, with a record of 8-4-3 overall and 3-1-2 in the conference. Maryland has 18 points, North Carolina has 13 and Wake Forest 12 and BC has 11.  

Maryland will have to gather itself and be ready for Lehigh on Tuesday night.  The Mountain Hawks are another of those mid-week opponents lurking on Maryland's heels, looking to take a bite out of their undefeated record and number one ranking.  Lehigh, of the Patriot League, is 3-10-0 overall and the loser of its first six games and nine of its first ten.  But they have played some of the best teams in the country extremely tough, and now have won two in a row both on the road.  Brown has been nationally ranked all season, but when they played the Mountain Hawks in mid-September, they struggled to a 1-0 win.  In mid-October Lehigh travelled to Georgetown, now ranked in the top ten, and lost a hard-fought 2-0 match.  Lehigh won at Penn State, at Yale and at Navy, the last two games coming just last week.